Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

INTRODUCTION
Many people believe that stainless steel cant get rusty and that stainless steel is completely rust-proof. In fact, although stainless steel is an alloy that contains chromium and other elements offering a certain amount of resistance to corrosion the base material is virtually as active as ordinary carbon steel. The noble nature of stainless is due to an ultra-thin passive Chromium Oxide layer on the surface, but in the absence of this layer the material is rapidly corroded. So good care should be taken of this oxide layer to ensure stainless steel will last a lifetime. In other words, stainless steel is not at all maintenancefree. It can, however, be said to be low maintenance. A component made from stainless steel can be compared to a healthy apple that keeps for a long time thanks to its peel, which is less than a tenth of a millimeter thick, but no substances are able to escape or enter until a worm eats its way through the peel, triggering the rotting process. The flesh of the apple will also oxidize quickly when the apple is cut in half. The skin on stainless steel is much thinner than apple peel yet also provides complete enclosure, which is why, normally speaking, no metal ions can escape and no foreign substances can enter. However, if this skin is exposed to an excessive chemical load, it will break down, leading to corrosion. The biggest difference from the apple is the ability of stainless steel to repair its oxide layer by itself. This is particularly applicable when the layer is damaged mechanically and the chromium oxide layer disappears in local areas. Thanks to the oxygen in the air, passivation of the material will occur spontaneously in those areas through the formation of a new layer of chromium oxide. This is known as the self healing effect although this mechanism can be badly disrupted in the presence of chlorides.

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THE SOLUTION
It is vital that stainless steel products and fabrications are clean when they go into service and kept clean whilst in service. In particular weld areas must be free from discolourisation and contamination plus any mild steel contamination that may have occurred during fabrication must be completely removed. The following pages detail products that are proven to be the best available for cleaning and protecting staineless steel as well as maintaining its attractive appearance. The subsequent pages provide a more technical explanation of the situation. detaled

REVISION HISTORY
Datasheet Updated 14 January 2013

DISCLAIMER
This Data is indicative only and must not be seen as a substitute for the full specification from which it is drawn. In particular, the mechanical property requirements vary widely with temper, product and product dimensions. The information is based on our present knowledge and is given in good faith. However, no liability will be accepted by the Company is respect of any action taken by any third party in reliance thereon. Any advice given by the Company to any third party is given for that partys assistance only and without liability on the part of the Company. Any contract between the Company and a customer will be subject to the Companys Conditions of Sale. The extent of the Companys liabilities to any customer is clearly set out in those Conditions; a copy of which is available on request.

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Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

[2 OF 8] CONTINUED Copyright: Equinox International Ltd, 25 High Street, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3DH

Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

[3 OF 8] CONTINUED Copyright: Equinox International Ltd, 25 High Street, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3DH

Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

[4 OF 8] CONTINUED Copyright: Equinox International Ltd, 25 High Street, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3DH

Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

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Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

Dirt deposits Stainless steel must be able to breathe as it exists thanks to oxygen. Although oxygen serves to maintain the thickness of the oxide layer, Oxygen is a relatively large molecule however and must be in contact with the surface. This is obviously not a problem when the surface is clean.. those places not exposed to rain are particularly susceptible to under deposit corrosion.

Above is a revolving door that was put into service four years ago. It incorporates a reasonably large amount of stainless steel and is located in the vicinity of sea water. At first sight, there is nothing wrong with it until you take a closer look at the arch above the door. You then see all kinds of rusty spots also known as tea stains. As this revolving door is located near sea water, we can be certain that this destruction is the work of aerosols, together with dirt deposits. Aerosols are small droplets of sea water which evaporate when airborne, increasing their concentrations of salts and chlorides. These settle on the stainless steel surface and the chlorides push their way under the dirt deposits in the pores, where they attack the material. If nothing is done, this corrosion will slowly spread further. Above you can also see that the stainless steel under the porch has suffered far greater corrosion than the section exposed to rain. The reason for this is that rain water washes away most of these salt residues, which means that the material experiences less corrosion. If the stainless steel arch had been cleaned regularly, these tea stains would not have developed. The cause is therefore the dirt deposits in the pores. As stated earlier, the surface of stainless steel contains a considerable amount of dirt, which can easily be seen using a microscopic image.

A magnification of 1500x shows a significant amount of dirt in the pores on the surface and this, in itself, should not be considered an exception. In fact, this is more the rule than an exception.

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Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

Above is a diagrammatic representation of a stainless steel surface that has greatly been magnified. The pores are filled with all kinds of dirt deposits, under which chlorides will find it easy to move. This will be much easier for small chlorine ions than for relatively large oxygen molecules and that is precisely the problem. Chlorine, just like fluorine, iodine and bromine, is a member of the halogen family, which are known as salt formers. Chlorine ions will therefore be inclined to combine with metals to form metal chlorides and this is certainly the case when oxygen is prevented from reaching the oxide layer to keep it in good condition. This layer will then break down, inevitably resulting in under-deposit corrosion. Once this surface is cleaned right down to the pores, oxygen will be able to do its job to sufficiently guarantee passivity.

This image illustrates this form of corrosion. It shows a switchboard cabinet made from AISI316 that is situated in the open air near to the coast. It is thought that a seawater resistant stainless steel should be chosen in this case. It is mainly aerosols that attack this surface under the dirt deposits. If this surface had been cleaned regularly, then this form of corrosion would not have occurred. As the entrance gate in question is covered, it is very difficult for rain water to reach the object to clean it extra thoroughly. Once again, a mistake was made here in thinking that stainless steel was maintenance-free. The corrosion shown in is no reason to replace this part as the corrosion can still be removed. It will be necessary, however, to apply extra protection after cleaning as minute blemishes have developed that could quickly lead to new corrosion.

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Stainless Steel: Is Stainless Steel Really Maintenance Free

Surface tension Every liquid has a specific surface tension. This can clearly be seen with drops of mercury that form globules on a sheet of glass. Water forms droplets that look more like toadstools. Mercury will not moisten the glass sheet like water does. The reason for this is that liquid mercury has a very high surface tension and water a relatively low one. Adding soap to the water will reduce this even more. Substances that lower or break the surface tension are also called tensides. These can be either ionic or anionic. The lower the surface tension, the deeper the agent will penetrate into the pores. A diagrammatic representation of this can be seen in below. The top picture illustrates a cleaning agent with a relatively high surface tension and the bottom picture illustrates an optimum one. In this way, the detergent or cleaning agent present can do its work dissolving the dirt. In other words, the pores are stripped of dirt deposits as optimally as possible, enabling the effective control of under deposit corrosion. This can mainly be attributed to the fact that oxygen can freely access the complete surface of the stainless steel. Again this demonstrates how important it is to keep the surface clean. The new product Innosoft B570 that has already become quite well known for its effective removal of (flash) rust and contaminations also contains special tensides, which enable the agent to penetrate deep into the pores. Moreover, this agent contains a powerful detergent that dissolves dirt thoroughly. In this way, the risk of under deposit corrosion can be eliminated as much as possible. Although Innosoft B570 is an excellent product for the removal of rusty corrosion products, it would be far better to use it as a preventative measure to prevent flash rust as much as possible. The chance of this would have been increased further if the liquid Innoprotect B580 had been applied after using Innosoft B570. This liquid also provides extra protection on a nano-scale. This can best be imagined as an atomic bonded layer that allows for the necessary exchange with oxygen as well as increased resistance to possible corrosion.

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